Richards Report - Gutting the Stewardship Fund, May 16, 2013

May 16, 2013

Gutting the Stewardship Fund

Dear Neighbor,

The Stewardship Fund has ensured that hundreds of thousands of acres of land, some of it in the city of Milwaukee, will be forever natural and open to the public. The legislature’s Joint Finance Committee gutted that program yesterday; cutting its funding by more than 20% and requiring the state to sell more 10,000 acres of land it already owns.

Even Governor Walker didn’t go this far.

The 20% cut comes after the legislature cut the program by more than 30% in the last budget. If this cut stands, the Stewardship fund will have been cut by more than 50% in the two most recent state budgets at a time when many politicians are crowing about the state budget surplus.

In their haste to harm Wisconsin’s open spaces, the Committee went beyond simply cutting funds for Stewardship. They i.) put limits on the amount of forest land and park land the state could own, even if we have money to buy more and people are willing to sell their land to the state for conservation, ii.) gave the Joint Finance Committee the power to define project boundaries for land purchased with Stewardship dollars and, iii.) required that every piece of Stewardship land the DNR owns, including “no-motor-vehicle- allowed” properties like Rock Island State Park in Door County, have a plan for motor vehicles.

Please know that I voted against every cut and change to the Stewardship Plan that passed yesterday. I will continue working with my colleagues in the legislature to restore the cuts and erase these misguided changes to the Stewardship Program.

Anyone who has enjoyed a peaceful walk in a Wisconsin forest, lingered near a forest-lined lake, or soaked in the unique beauty of an urban park should be deeply concerned about this misguided decision. Wisconsinites like you, Democrats and Republicans, have always stood for protecting our natural heritage and for making it accessible to us and preserved it for our children. The fund is named for former Democratic Governor Gaylord Nelson and former Republican Governor Warren Knowles who shared a passion for protecting our environment and wild places.

If you share that passion, please join me in protecting Wisconsin’s natural beauty by reversing these massive cuts and radical policy changes to the Stewardship Fund.

Sincerely,

JON RICHARDS
State Representative
Assembly District 19
State Capitol, 118 North, Madison, WI 53708, (608) 266-0650